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Reviews

I recently just finished The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls for my outside reading book in my English class. Getting straight to the point, this has for sure been one of my most favorite books I have ever read. I could not only relate to many of the events and feelings that take place but also I love the way Walls expresses each character. Each individual has their own unique personality. Walls does a great job on making all the characters have different views and beliefs as well and making them all clear to see and understand. Just in this one family, there was such a wide variety of different types of people. At first I didn’t know what a memoir was, and I didn’t really bother to look it up until after I finished the book and relooked at the author’s name. I noticed that it was the same from the girls in the story. After this, I looked up the definition and I was in awe at all the extreme hardships that she had to go through. In the future, I am going to look more into this genre that I didn’t even know existed. I definitely think it is very interesting. I first picked up this book because I was at a loss of time and it was the 1st thing I saw. I didn’t think I would like it. It’s really not the type of book I would usually pick to read in my spare time but because I didn’t have many options, I stuck with it. Fortunately for me, the book turned out to be 100 better than I thought. When I read the back, I thought it was going to be a long boring and depressing story. Though at parts it got sad and or depressing, it never managed to get boring to me. Even in the sad parts, there was always some sort of strong emotion that would make me think why? I tend to think about everything. It’s a blessing and a curse. I loved that in this book because every thing each person did made me question who they were growing into and becoming throughout the story. In my English class, we are working on building a reading habit. I’m not going to lie, I really don’t enjoy reading that much anymore. In the past, it was one of my favorite things to do but as I have gotten older I find that a lot more distracts me when trying to read and I can never seem to find a book that I really like. This book was a real breakthrough to me. It actually helped me to make a reading habit for myself and slowly but surely I am enjoying reading more and more. I know that it probably seems like I am exaggerating quite a bit but I just want to make it clear to everyone how much I really did enjoy this book. Take it from someone who doesn’t even enjoy reading, yet couldn’t put it down. That must mean it’s good. I suggest you give it a go and see for yourself.

Janet Rendall

The Glass Castle

I selected this book of my book group because we can all relate at some level with a dysfunctional family. This family coped against incredible odds with humor, love and fortitude. If only all families had that level of intellect and emotional strength.

Monica Kuolt

Experiences

In this touching book, Glass Castle, written by Jeannette Walls, exposes her true life by the lessons, adventures, and experiences that has brought on her and her family emotionally but also rewarding. The book starts out with mid 30’s Jeannette Walls in New York City sitting in a taxi through traffic. As she waits to go to one of her expensive, nice party, she looks at a homeless woman. She notices that it is her mother and can’t believe it is her. Her reaction was to hide herself so no one could know that they could actually be related. Her battles with accepting her mother being homeless is because her whole life was just moving around, no money, no structure in the family and struggles that came between them. While growing up in her uncontrolled environment, constant hardships and realities made her want more meaning in her life. From all of this, she has become a successful, stable, hardworking and intelligent writer.

Sally

The Glass Castle Book Review

In this most touching and compelling novel of all times, author Jeanette Walls who is the main character of the story unveils her root growing up in an extremely dysfunctional family of 4 children headed by a drunk and irresponsible father and married to a lazy and neglectful mother. The Walls family, not having a permanent place to stay all their life and has to dig food from trash to survive has made it through day by day with little or no resources at all. While the delinquent parents, who have no guilt conscience, constantly make selfish and unreasonable decision for the family, the children suffer from extreme humiliation in school and in the community.

Amazingly, in spite of all these, their love and loyalty to each other in the midst of the hardship kept them close and instead, developed their characters filled with hope and determination to make it better on their own. Jeanette, with her brother and 2 sisters successfully made it in New York and was able to enjoy the life that they deserve while their parents followed but continued to choose to be homeless.

This book is very inspiring and highly recommendable for all people in all ages. After reading this book, I don’t feel like complaining for every little thing I don’t have and I can’t do. I feel so blessed and grateful for everything I have and my ability to do things. I learned that nothing is impossible with God by my side. I can be the person I want to be, and with full determination, I can do anything & everything I want to achieve my goals in life.

Courtney Craig

Undescribable

Some stir hearts with pictures.Some with dance.Some with song.And some can move your entire being, creep into the very crevices of your soul, with words.

Jeannette Walls did just that. The Glass Castle will be a work of art, a bold statement of raw life, that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

In other words, I bawled like a baby.

bobbie d

It's Real

Our book club really liked this book. Couldn't believe that it is a true story! But I guess no one could make this up. This is one of the craziest disfunctional families ever. The father had dreams that would never happen, hence, The Glass Castle. When money became available, they found ways to waste it! All through the book, I kept thinking that this was fiction! The author is the daughter! She survived!

Laurie

Wonderful

This is a wonderful story of triumph and trial. There are more than one occasions that could have changed any of these people in an extremely negative way, the author just pushes through in telling the story. She doesn't become bogged down in the process, AMAZING READ!

Charlotte Cunningham

A great memoir

While I was at work a few days ago, one of my co workers said Hey Charlotte after I read your memoir Why? it made me think of another memoir called The Glass Castle, I think you should read it. Wow, I just finished The Glass Castle. It is a great memoir and reminds me a lot of my life growing up. God bless you Jeannette...Love Charlotte Cunningham

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